To the Editor:
It is difficult to understand the logic behind the Bike Share Program soon to be installed in Old Town, although the politics are right. This is funded in large part by an air-quality grant from the federal government and is an extension of the Bike Share program I know from Washington, D.C. Extending this service to Old Town and making the argument for air quality improvement is a nonstarter, and here’s why.
Let’s start with the most basic, fundamental and important reasons to put more bicycles on the road—they improve air quality and human health as well as mitigating climate change impact. Measured against these compelling goals the Bike Share Program for Old Town produces a resoundingly negative result. In the context of Old Town the Bike Share program isn’t even neutral, which would make it easier to justify as a long-term educational program.
How is this possible? First, as our City staff has acknowledged:
The program does not reduce normal vehicular traffic—so adding bikes increases congestion by putting seventy new vehicles on King Street;
The streets in Old Town are much narrower (as are the sidewalks) than in D.C.—so delivery trucks, emergency vehicles, weekend surges could easily force bicyclers into risky situations with little room for escape;
The bicycles themselves are redistributed by a large truck that circulates and stops to load the bikes on a regular basis—so we are actually adding truck exhaust to the air. The net result is reduced air quality, increased street congestion, and some real life safety concerns.
In addition, these are one-style bicycles that are heavy and unless you are a good rider, not so easy to control. Making these readily available to tourists—without helmets—without maps—on busy commercial and residential streets seems like taking a big chance. Will the city be liable for any accidents? Will citizens be responsible for injuries that may occur because of uneven, brick pavements—an important feature of historic Old Town? What are we thinking—or are we?
I love bikes and want to see them as more a part of our daily life here in Old Town. But as this program stands now—well, it looks more like PR spin than a program put together to succeed. Time to take it back—and put it together so that it works for all of us here in small scale Old Town. At the very least the city must monitor the Bike Share Program in its early stages, so it can adapt to fit the unique needs of our city. Then, we can count on early success turning into future grants.
Kathryn Papp
Capital Bikeshare (CaBi), not quite 2 years old, is a terrific and highly successful program and extending the kiosks to Alexandria is overdue. CaBi allows users to ride on easy-to-control bicycles to conveniently make trips which they would have not taken at all or used their cars or public transportation. Thus, CaBi reduces congestion on roads and on public transportation, introduces people to biking and entices people to start biking with their own bikes, adding societal benefits to the equation and making biking in cities safer. In any event, Ms. Papp's arguments are mostly red herrings. Motorized traffic, not bikes or pedestrians cause congestion in Old Town. The bikes are easy to ride and safe, CaBi sells helmets, which are not mandatory, and there are maps on CaBi kiosks. The Sprinter vans are the cleanest delivery vans available and only appear when needed. There is a good reason, CaBi is a success and it's high time that Alexandria joins the program in progress.
Frankly I think those goals are too "high minded". Here is why I use my bike to and around Old Town. 1) Its just as quick as driving and I need the excercise 2) I don't have to find a parking place 3) its' cheaper than parking 4) other than walking, its the best way to experience the beauty and charm of the city. The sky will not fall and Cabi in Alexandria will prove to be a success that improves the quality of life for those that choose it as an option. I admit I was a skeptic of the program until I became a member last year and fell in love with the convenience and speed of it.
"Making these readily available to tourists—without helmets—without maps—on busy commercial and residential streets seems like taking a big chance." Seems like! It seems like DC has done fine with them, and there are far busier commercial and residential streets in the District. I hope that having CaBi come to Alexandria will increase traffic. More people visiting Alexandria = more dollars spent in Alexandria. I cannot possibly imagine how bike sharing could be detrimental to the city.
http://redalexandriava.com/2012/06/20/capital-bikeshare-does-it-discriminate-against-for-whom-it-was-intended-video/
On the other hand, your link to the video and accompanying information is so far out and easy to look through that it is almost a public service to post it.
So you're saying the fact that Capital Bikeshare received $16 million in government subsidies is not true (see link in post)? You're also saying the results of the Capital Bikeshare member survey which the post is linked to is not true as well? Lastly, you're saying the FTA link in the post is untrue as well? Hardly misleading Eric but, as John Adams said, facts are stubborn things.
It's true that Montgomery County got a grant that is meant to "address the unique transportation challenges faced by welfare recipients and low-income persons seeking to obtain and maintain employment." But, that money hasn't been spent yet, at least not entirely, and the program it was to set up hasn't been started yet and the stations it was to install don't exist yet. So mentioning it, without including that fact, is deliberately deceptive. And it's something Kennedy never mentions. Even when the program is started, it will only represent one small portion of the federal money used for CaBi thus far. So it will be fair to judge the MoCo program on it's ability to improve transportation equity, but not to somehow project that over the whole system
While Alexandria's funds may come from a CMAQ grant, the majority of funds for Capital Bikeshare have come from JARC grants. The first line of JARC under program overview states: "The Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program was established to address the unique transportation challenges faced by welfare recipients and low-income persons seeking to obtain and maintain employment." Under eligible activities, it states: "Capital, planning and operating expenses for projects that transport low income individuals to and from jobs and activities related to employment, and for reverse commute projects." So again, instead of helping the low-income folks, the average taxpayer is subsidizing, wealthy, affluent folks who could afford the system of bicycles without the subsidies.
Truth is, that particular grant totaled $1.3 million and was awarded to Montgomery County under the federal Job Access and Reverse Commute program. The bulk of D.C.’s funding has come from another federal program, the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program, whose aims — “to support surface transportation projects and other related efforts that contribute air quality improvements and provide congestion relief” — are pretty solidly in keeping with Bikeshare’s benefits.
That same survey revealed that CaBi users drove less and saved money. Sounds like a great deal to me!
As for the narrower streets, that can actually improve safety in many cases. Car drivers cannot speed down those streets the way they would on a wider street. I ride through Old Town quite frequently on my bikes. I find it much more relaxing than riding on many of the streets in D.C. As for the handling of the bikes, yes they are heavy and slow. But that's precisely what makes them so safe. Even though many beginners have been using the CaBi bikes over the last 20 months, the accident and injury rate has been miniscule. I'm only aware of two serious accidents, of the more than 1.7 million total bike trips. Can any other mode of transportation claim similar numbers? Given how much press coverage the accident in the spring received, I'm very skeptical that there are a lot of unreported serious accidents happening. The critics of Capital Bikeshare would be all over that story if people were getting maimed and injured on a regular basis. It just hasn't been happening, either in D.C. or in Arlington.
http://wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/12/06/29/from_a_to_b_bike_shop_owners_see_big_returns_from_capital_bikeshare